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Rockies roster set

Rockies manager Jim Tracy announced his Opening Day roster on Monday, although there will be some changes in the early days of the season. Left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz won’t be activated until April 15, when he is scheduled to pitch, and lefty Jamie Moyer won’t be activated until he starts Saturday against the Astros.

One spot is up in the air. Left-handed reliever Josh Outman is battling food poisoning. If he won’t be ready for Friday, the Rockies will have to make an adjustment by bringing back right-hander Alex White, who was optioned to the Minors on Monday.

Tracy also said he is comfortable setting a roster with shortstop Troy Tulowitzki active. Tulowitzki suffered a bruised left elbow on Sunday when hit by a pitch from the Indians’ Ubaldo Jimenez.

Can someone please explain to me why Eric Young Jr. and his limited skills are still on the roster, while Charlie Blackmon is on the bubble, and Seth Smith and Ryan Spillbourghs have been traded? Is somebody again trying to guarantee that the Rockies never have a chance? Are gamblers holding a gun to Jim Tracy’s head? Really, what is going on here? Can’t anybody who matters see that Young does not have major league talent and far less talent than players we keep giving away? Anybody remember Matt Holliday?

Sorry I didn’t see this earlier than opening night. The thing I see is he has a skill that can actually turn games, which is speed. It’s good to have solid players on the bench who can fill in credibly when they start, but given the small number of starts I think it may be more important to have guys with a game-turning skill.

The only problem with keeping a player just for his speed is that he has to get on base. Young hits so rarely that he usually gets on base only by replacing a player that just got a hit or a walk. I don’t think that’s fair. Speed is relative, and if a player’s speed is good enough to man a position for most of a game, than you are not gaining much by replacing him with speedy base runner. I think power on the bench for a late-inning hit wins more games than speed on the bench. Suppose inserting Young results in tying the score and not winning the game, then you have to play Young somewhere. Try to remember how many times that he has botched routine plays in the infield and how poorly he tracks balls in the outfield. In my mind, Young’s presence on the roster effectively gives the Rocks a 24-man roster. And I saw the opening night game; I saw how Young almost got thrown out stealing and then almost got picked off running.

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